Mr Potter and the Organization Whose Name is Too Long for this Title
by flyingcrowbar
Summary: Mr Potter had thought the golden days of his life had long gone, until he receives a visit from a certain one-eyed director from an organization in the business of avenging.


Mr and Mrs Potter liked to believe that they could lead a perfectly normal life, thank you very much. Fourteen years had passed since the final battle at Hogwarts, practically a lifetime ago. It was only natural for Mr Potter to assimilate back into the life of a normal wizarding standard.

His life with his family was, essentially, perfect. Beautiful family, warm house, secure job - the Wizarding Dream. Nothing was unexpected, everything had its place, and he could be free to live out the rest of his life in peace.

People didn't really stare at him much these days. Sure, he got the occasional glance here and there, but his fame had died down. People didn't have much reason to pay attention. And maybe Mr Potter would have been lying if he didn't feel a little sad about the fact that he was just an ordinary wizard now. The excitement in his life had passed. But he had more important things to worry about these days.

Mr Potter enjoyed the commute to work in the Ministry in the mornings. In fact he loved it so much, his routine rarely strayed. He found comfort in his schedule. He wore the same style of suit and robes to work, took the same Floo network at the same time every day, and always grabbed his morning pick-me-up of brilliant coffee at the shop on the Muggle side of the street.

But that morning, his routine was disturbed a little when his attention was drawn to a Muggle woman standing just outside the window to the cafe. He could have sworn it was his wife at first, but as he noticed she didn't look like her at all. She wore a tight leather jacket and dark jeans, and stood out against the crowd with a burst of fiery red hair. She stared straight at him, her green eyes piercing through the crowd of caffeine-deficient workers. At first he thought he might have forgotten to remove his robes before joining the throng of 9-to-5ers, but he hadn't.

He looked around to make sure she was looking at him, but when he turned back to meet her eyes once more, she had disappeared. It was odd, but not odd enough for the famous Potter to worry.

So his routine started again. He returned back to his office on the second floor, sat at his usual cluttered desk, and went back to work.

That was until word got out that those Americans had discovered something unbelievable. Rumors swirled around the Ministry that particular morning, whispers of a huge event that had taken place in New York City. Of course it would be New York - where else do amazing events occur these days? And one thing was on everybody's lips: "Aliens."

But Mr Potter had many things to do that day and he hadn't had a chance to allow himself the luxury of international gossip. An incident in Peebles involving cursed coat hangers kept his mind distracted.

It wasn't until lunch that he had a chance to even look up from his stack of paperwork and check in with home.

"Is this thing on?! Hello? How do I know this bloody Muggle thing is working?" Ginny managed to say over the shrieks of joy from the two young boys playing in the house.

"Yeah, I can hear you, dear!" he called. He pinned the phone in between his shoulder and cheek. The technology had been installed when he first started working in the office. It saved him far much more time these days, especially if he needed quick answers (a lesson he had learned a while ago).

"This crazy Muggle technology, I'll never understand it..."

Her husband chuckled. "How're the kids?" he asked, and with a flick of his wand he restacked a pile of unsorted parchment.

"A real handful today," she said. "I've got to be at the pitch in about an hour, so Amelia should be here soon."

Amelia was the reliable baby sitter. Without her, it would be chaos. His sons, James and Albus, were on vacation for the summer holiday from primary school. They desperately needed to go back.

The sound of a vase crashing to the floor could be heard through the phone. Mr Potter winced.

"We just blew through nap time today," Ginny said, with a sigh.

"For the boys?"

"For me."

The couple chuckled.

"I'll try and make it home early tonight," he said.

"That would be lovely." He could hear Ginny's smile through her words. "So I wanted to ask," she continued, "Did you hear about what happened in New York last night?"

"Bits and pieces. Why, what's up?"

"Oh nothing, it's just I had a gentleman stop by earlier asking for you and referenced what happened over there - Say 'hi daddy!' "

He could hear his daughter's voice ("Hi daddy!") as she zoomed through the room at breakneck speed, obviously chasing after her brothers.

"Hi Lil'!" he replied, but he knew she couldn't hear. He went back to the situation at hand: "Who was he?"

"Not sure, really. I think he was representing some agency from the States. Strategic something-something. "

"Very specific," he teased. He adjusted the moving portrait of his family on his desk and looked at it with a smile.

"Very funny," she mocked. "But he said he might stop by the office later. He seemed really intent on speaking with you."

"Sounds important."

"But you know, it was weird. He didn't seem like a wizarding kind of guy. American, definitely. But he was more - I dunno - military. Maybe the American wizards have expanded their ranks."

The sounds of the boys rough-housing permeated through the phone. Ginny's voice softened as she turned to address them, "Be careful with that!" Lily's shrieks of happiness was deafening.

"I'll be on the lookout. And send those kids over to Uncle Ron's or something. Tire them out."

"I'll try!"

"And good luck at practice today. Go big or go home!"

"Go big or go home," Ginny repeated enthusiastically.

There was a crash as the boys trampled through the living room, Lily was close behind. Ginny spoke up to them: "No, Lily, that's mummy's wa-"

And the phone made a squeaky noise like a toy before the line went dead.

He chuckled. They had gone through three phones that week already. So he hung up and went back to work.

The end of the day quickly approached, and Mr Potter began packing up. He sorted his paperwork and found a copy of this morning's Prophet sitting underneath stacks of files. With his work mostly done for the day, he figured he could afford a break. So he sat back down in his chair, kicked his feet up onto the desk and scanned the front page:

_**Extraterrestrial Threat Thwarted by Marvelous Heroes**_

The magical picture had captured footage of strange looking beasts swooping through the charred streets of New York City. Instantly, Mr Potter was enthralled. This was just like something out of a movie. All of it was too real to believe - even for a wizard who had seen many things beyond possibility. He had heard the rumors, but nothing could measure to what he was reading.

A pang of something swirled in his chest, like he had taken a sharp dive on his trusty broom too quickly and his heart had jumped into his belly. The picture had awoken something inside him. It energized him, made him feel like he was back at Hogwarts again. But he took a deep breath and calmed himself. He continued reading on.

Another picture showcased a man emblazoned in patriotic wear saluting the onlooking crowd. He stood side-by-side with a metal man, a blond warrior, a bow-wielding marksman, a giant green beast and a - he paused and stared. He drew his face in to look at the image more clearly. Yes, he was sure of it. There, standing alongside the heroes, was the red-haired woman he saw in the shop. He was sure of it.

But why was she looking at him? What did she need to do here of all places?

"Mr Potter?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

He bent the paper down to see who it was. A tall, strong man with an eyepatch stood before him - stern and commanding. He was wearing a long black duster.

Potter removed his feet from his desk and sat up in his chair. He felt like he was being scolded back at school.

"Yes?"

"My name is Nick Fury, I spoke with your wife earlier and she directed me here."

"Oh, yes, of course, she told me," Potter said, as he stood and shook the gentleman's hand. "What department did you say you were from?"

"I represent an organization called the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"Quite a mouthful." It reminded him of S.P.E.W. and he shielded a smile.

"It's been said. I'm sure you've heard of the events that had been taking place recently in the news regarding an alien attack on our planet, starting on the eastern coast of the United States of America." The man took a seat across the desk without the need for small talk.

Mr Potter, now sitting, nodded and adjusted the glasses on his nose habitually.

"It has come to our attention that a more... _broad_ understanding of the world is necessary for full and complete action toward any unwarranted assaults. And your expertise is immeasurable." His accent allowed him to enunciate his words with such care, Mr Potter couldn't help but pay attention.

His heart pounded in his ears. Why was this man talking to him, here and now? The feeling in his chest continued, stronger than before.

Finally, the one-eyed man said, "I'm here to talk with you about the Avengers Initiative." And he nodded towards the paper on his desk.

Harry Potter's eyes crinkled as he put two and two together. A smile curved onto his lips, and a rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins - the same adrenaline that he had been missing.

He finally recognized what it was stirring inside - the yearn for adventure.

"Well," he said, "go on then."


End file.
